Insights

It may surprise you that Instagram, known primarily as a platform for photo sharing, has surpassed Twitter. Additionally, its success is snowballing, with the dramatic rise in business accounts and the added benefits of business tools like insights, post promotion, and other ways to promote your brand. Now is the time to create your Instagram account or convert it to a business account. With a user base of over 500 MILLION people, you have a plethora of great leads waiting to be discovered!

However, with Instagram having its own unique lingo, it’s important to prepare yourself for your new business venture. Here are some common terms and acronyms to set you off well-prepared:

A

Activity Feed. This describes where you see what you, and those you are following, have posted. To view the feed, tap the heart image at the bottom of the screen, then either following (for others) or you (to see who is following you or liked your recent posts).

B

Block. Just like it sounds. If you want to prevent a user from viewing your photos or looking up your account, you can go to their profile, click the menu button and block them.

C

Caption. Now that you have chosen the “perfect” photo, it is important to make sure it helps you to gain followers. A good caption provides context and encourages your followers to take action. With a generous limit of 2,200 characters, you can go so far as to write a short story about your photo!

D

Direct Post. This Instagram application allows you to do exactly what it says: send content (photos, videos, messages) directly to other users, either individually or in a group.

E

Explore. Instagram Explore is where things appear that you really like, both your posts and posts liked by users you like. This is great news for businesses, because when users like your posts, they appear on their Explore page (and those of their followers), which increases engagement. It’s a win-win situation!

F

Filters. The aspect which made Instagram…well, Instagram! Back in “the olden days” of Instagram, users often edited their photos with vintage style effect. Today, Instagram users enjoy making their unique photos even more so with a variety of filtering tools.

G

#GOTD. A great hashtag to use to indicate your latest photo is the “Gram” of the day. Use it to summarize what you consider your best post/photo/video of the day.

H

Hashtag. This phrase or word following the (#) is used by Instagram to categorize content. When you click a hashtag, you can look through other posts which are similarly defined. Post which contain at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement than those without, so #hashtag away!

I

Influencer. This general social media term describes any user who has established credibility with their audience or industry, and can create awareness about topics, trends, or anything being discussed online.

K

Key (Analytics). While struggling to find a good social media term beginning with the letter “K,” we can’t ignore the importance of analytics on social media use. Here are a few key ones you can use with Instagram business tools: demographics and insights, website clicks, reach and impressions, and your best performing posts.

L

#Latergram. This term is used to clarify the status of a photo you post, indicating that the event took place previously. This is quite useful when sharing details about an event (think fundraiser!) which occurred previously, giving you time after a successful event to recoup and share away!

M

Meme. This term is used to describe a thought, concept, or joke shared online, and often includes a photo or short video with text.

N

Notification. Today’s online community members want to know who, what, when, and where, and often elect to learn right away. Notifications are used so that you can be immediately informed when someone posts, follows, or likes something.

O

Original Content. In a world where sharing and reposting content is common, be fresh! Use original content which others can share. Be the leader!

P

Permalink. This describes a Permanent URL. This is the location you want your post to remain once you have published it. It generally remains unchanged.

R

Regram. The act of reposting on Instagram. It involves posting a screenshot of someone else's original post, and then reposting it using the hashtag #regram and acknowledging the source of the original posting.

S

Selfie. A selfie is a self-portrait that is typically taken using the reverse camera screen on a smartphone or by using a selfie stick (a pole that attaches to your camera). Selfies are commonly shared on social media networks like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook using the hashtag #selfie.

T

#TBT. This trend has become common with social media users to share old photographs from their past. However, business participation increases engagement and gives a more “authentic” feeling, personalizing your interaction.

U

Uploading. Going old school here; this is the process of transferring content from your device to an online location.

V

Viral. A term to describe becoming an “overnight sensation,” there are some keys to doing this on Instagram: ensure your profile is fully completed, use hashtags often, and always try to connect with influencers (see above).

W

Web Analytics. This is the measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of Internet data for purposes of optimizing Web usage. Instagram’s Insights is their own version of analytics, tracking impressions, demographics, and total reach.

Up Next

You are now discovering that some terms are specific to each social media platform, while others are simply your basic social media language tools to help you be successful at online marketing. You may feel overwhelmed, but fear not—there is no test at the end! So sharpen your pencil and grab your backpack, we are off to Twitter.

About Digital Impact Agency

Digital Impact Agency is a creative firm specializing in interactive media and inbound marketing strategiesfor manufacturing and technology companies, professional service firms (architectural, engineering, construction, legal and consulting), nonprofits and enterprise companies. We are a team of innovative entrepreneurs focused on creating the most strategic and effective communication channels for our clients.